Impact Lufkin offers SFA graduate student opportunity to share research on community perceptions

NACOGDOCHES, TX (KTRE) - Graduate students at Stephen F. Austin State University will have the opportunity to present their research projects to the community, thanks to a local organization.

Impact Lufkin will soon host a Community Talk on Monday, May 13, and one student will share her findings on the perceptions of East Texas Latino parents have towards higher education for their children.

After seeing a lack of minority students pursuing higher education, Sabrina Guerrero conducted research for a project.

“I’ve always seen education as being very important and vital just for the future and to better yourself in general,” Guerrero said. “And with the appreciative inquiry with Impact Lufkin, the research that was conducted in 2017, it was found that there was a lack of minority students pursuing and completing higher education.”

For a month she reached out to Latino parents and provided them with consent forms to use their surveyed information.

“The survey consisted of three open-ended questions about the perceptions," said Guerrero. "There was one question about finances and what they see as barriers, and then there was 10 quantitative questions which were ranking, and they had statements.

“They ranks the statements, and so those questions ranged from how comfortable they feel about being competent enough to help their child apply for coolege, and if they want their child to attend college locally.”

Overall, participants shared the value of higher education, and 29 of the 31 participants who were surveyed said they ‘strongly agreed’ on that statement. However, only half felt comfortable to help their child in their higher education goals, and half weren’t sure. Finances also came up as an overall barrier to send their children to college.

WEBXTRA: IMPACT Lufkin allows SFA graduate student to share research on community perception

Guerrero said he goal was now to raise awareness to help address the disparities that minorities face in education, and provide them with the proper resources to succeed.

The Community Talk event will be held Monday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Impact Lufkin. Other SFA graduate students will also present projects on youth development manuals to help with empowerment and skill-building, as well as nutritional plans.

Author

KTRE Reporter

Stefante Randall is a multimedia journalist for KTRE in Lufkin, Texas. She is from Palmetto, Florida and is excited to be back in the south.

She graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her bachelor’s in communications (Go Bulls!) and her certification in broadcast news from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Tampa.